 ARE YOU WORKING IN A
SICK BUILDING?
When you're at work, do you get headaches? Do you
have difficulty breathing? Are you groggy or
nauseated? Do your eyes burn?
(See also: Occupational Asthma, Occupational Lung
Cancer)
Do you find yourself sneezing or coughing? And do you
feel better when you leave the office? If so, there's
a possibility that you are working in a sick
building.
The "sick building syndrome" is a recently
recognized phenomenon, and, unfortunately, an
increasingly common one. When a significant number of
building occupants experience symptoms that do not
fit the pattern of any particular illness and are
difficult to trace to any specific source, the
problem may be "sick building syndrome."
Sick building problems may arise because of
improperly designed or maintained heating,ventilating
and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; office
equipment, furniture and supplies; and operations in
the building.
To save rising energy costs, new buildings are
tightly sealed and modern ventilation systems recycle
a large portion of inside air. Often, fresh air may
not reach the worker. For example, use of flexible
office partitions in large open spaces can interfere
with the air distribution as it was originally
designed.
Energy costs in older buildings are reduced by adding
insulation, caulking and weather-stripping.Windows
are made air-tight, and outside air dampers are
closed. Whether a building is old or new, the same
recirculated air is breathed again and again by the
people working in these buildings.
The problem is made worse by increasing numbers and
varieties of pollutants from furnishings;air
conditioning, heating and ventilating systems; modern
office equipment and supplies;humidifiers and
dehumidifiers; and secondhand tobacco smoke.
The result? Air pollution levels can be far greater
indoors than outdoors.
HOW BIG A
PROBLEM IS OFFICE AIR POLLUTION?
A World Health Organization report suggests that as
many as 30 percent of new and remodeled buildings
worldwide may generate excessive complaints related
to indoor air quality.
In a nationwide random sampling of office workers, 24
percent perceived air quality problems in their work
environments, and 20 percent believed that their work
performance was hampered accordingly.
WHAT ARE THE
SYMPTOMS OF WORKING IN A SICK BUILDING?
The effects of office air pollution usually show up
first as one or a combination of the following
symptoms:
 Stuffy nose.
Sneezing.
Dry cough.
Tightness of the chest.
Sore throat.
Other symptoms may also appear,
including:
Fatigue.
Headache.
Nausea.
Skin irritation.
Burning, itching eyes.
However, these symptoms may be a result of a
variety of causes. Frequently, it is difficult to
firmly establish the relationship between the
symptoms and the work environment.
This is not the whole story. Germ-caused illnesses,
such as Legionnaire's Disease, which can lead to
serious infection or even death, are often the result
of indoor air pollution.
WHAT CAUSES
OFFICE AIR POLLUTION PROBLEMS?
The major reasons for poor indoor air quality in
office buildings are the presence of indoor air
pollution sources; poorly designed, maintained or
operated ventilation systems; and uses of the
building that were unanticipated or poorly planned
for when the building was designed or renovated.
Frequently, no single pollutant is present in
unhealthy amounts, yet because there are so many
pollutants present, the total effect may be
unhealthy. Pollutants most likely to cause problems
in the office are:
1. Biological Agents
Biological agents are present in the air almost
everywhere, and are a common factor in office air
pollution. They include bacteria, viruses, fungi,
pollen, dust mites and other insects, animal dander
(tiny scales from hair, feathers, or skin) and molds.
Biological agents can travel through the air and are
often invisible. They are usually inhaled, either
alone or by attaching themselves to particles of dust
and then entering the respiratory system.
Major sources: Offices can be especially vulnerable
to microorganisms, because fungi and bacteria find
nourishment in inadequately maintained
air-circulation systems and in dirty washrooms.
Health effects: When biological agents are allowed to
flourish in poorly maintained ventilation systems,
severe health problems can result that can be
experienced throughout an entire building.
Infectious and noninfectious diseases can be caused
by various biological agents. They can make you
sneeze, trigger allergic reactions, cause rashes,
watery eyes, hoarseness,coughing, dizziness,
lethargy, breathing problems, and digestive problems.
People with asthma are especially susceptible to
allergic problems caused by biological agents. Their
very sensitive airways can react to various allergens
and irritants, making breathing difficult.
2. Carbon Monoxide
This odorless gas is a regulated outdoor air
pollutant. It can be an even greater hazard indoors.
In some office buildings, afternoon levels of carbon
monoxide can be 10 to 20times greater than the EPA's
daily standard for outdoor air quality.
Major sources: Garages and loading docks in buildings
are a major source of carbon monoxide. If improperly
vented, or if there is a leak in the duct work, the
gas can seep into a building's offices in unhealthy
amounts.
Health effects: Carbon monoxide can produce fatigue,
confusion, headache, dizziness,and nausea. It can
impede coordination and worsen heart problems. Very
high exposures can cause death.
3. Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a commonly used chemical compound
found in as many as 3,000different building products.
Major sources: In office buildings, the major sources
of formaldehyde are likely to be particle board,
fiberboard and plywood in furniture and paneling;
glues; and upholstery and drapery fabrics.
Health effects: Exposure to formaldehyde can cause
headaches, sore throats, and fatigue.Other health
effects can include rashes, nausea, dizziness, and
eye and respiratory tract irritation. Furthermore,
formaldehyde has been found to cause cancer in animal
research and industrial workers.
4. Secondhand Tobacco Smoke
Secondhand smoke, the smoke from someone else's
cigarette, cigar or pipe, contains more than 4,000
chemicals including nicotine, formaldehyde, carbon
monoxide, and other known cancer- causing agents.
While smokers themselves face serious health risks
from tobacco, it is now clear that even people who
don't smoke may be threatened. Exposure to secondhand
smoke, also called environmental tobacco smoke, may
have certain harmful, possibly even fatal, health
effects such as lung cancer and heart disease.
Health effects: Tobacco smoke can irritate eyes, nose
and throat and can cause headaches and nausea. The
Surgeon General of the United States has concluded
that secondhand smoke is definitely dangerous to
human health. Involuntary smoking has now been
established as a cause of lung cancer in healthy
nonsmokers.
More than half of all U.S. employers have instituted
restrictions on smoking in their facilities. A 1989
survey of Fortune 50 companies reported that at least
10 percent have smoke-free policies and almost 42
percent permit smoking only in limited, designated
smoking areas.
5. Volatile Organic Compounds
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released from
certain solids or liquids as gases at room
temperature. They include a variety of chemicals
(benzene, carbon tetrachloride,styrene) which may
have both short-term and long-term health effects.
Major sources: Volatile organic compounds can be
found in some furniture, paint,adhesives, solvents,
upholstery, draperies, carpet, spray cans, clothing,
construction materials, cleaning compounds,
deodorizers, copy machine toners, felt-tip markers
and pens, and correction fluids.
Health effects: Short-term effects include eye, nose
and throat irritation; headaches; and nausea. On a
long-term basis, exposure to high levels of some of
these substances may produce damage to the liver,
kidney and the central nervous system.
6. Other Pollutants
With today's new, ever-changing business equipment,
additional dangers can confront the office worker.
Copying machines, for example, can emit ozone, which
causes coughing,choking, headache, fatigue, and
lowers the body's resistance to infection.
Office buildings are likely to contain asbestos in
ceiling and floor tiles and acoustic and heating
insulation. This asbestos is safe unless the material
is disrupted. Asbestos fiber scan be inhaled into the
lungs and remain in the lung tissue, where they can
cause scarring,or asbestosis, and cancer.
AIR POLLUTION
IN THE OFFICE BUILDING
CARBON
MONOXIDE: GARAGES, MOTOR VEHICLES, LOADING DOCKS.
Formaldehyde: Glues, partitions, carpet, paneling,
drapery, fabric,particle board furniture, upholstery
fabric.
BIOLOGICAL
AGENTS: HUMIDIFIERS, AIR CONDITIONERS, DEHUMIDIFIERS,
WASHROOMS,ventilation pipes and
ducts.
TOBACCO
SMOKE: CIGARETTES, CIGARS, PIPES.
VOLATILE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS: FELT-TIP MARKERS AND PENS,
CLEANINGcompounds, paint, copy
machines, solvents.
Ozone: Copy machines.
WHAT CAN BE
DONE ABOUT IT?
Four basic requirements to restore health to sick
buildings:
1. Eliminate Tobacco Smoke
A smoke-free policy is the best way to protect the
health of all employees. If that is not currently
feasible, smoking should be allowed only in a
separately-ventilated area reserved exclusively for
that purpose, where no nonsmoker is required to enter
or pass through.
Your local American Lung Association can provide
materials to help companies develop and implement
no-smoking policies. Call 1-800-LUNG-USA
(1-800-586-4872).
2. Provide Adequate Ventilation
Guidelines for office buildings set by the American
Society of Heating, Refrigerating, andAIR
CONDITIONING ENGINEERS (ASHRAE) REQUIRE CIRCULATION
OF FIFTEEN TO SIXTY CUBIC FEET OFoutside
air per minute per person, depending upon the
activities that normally occur in that room. If air
circulation in large open spaces is hampered by
partitions, raise the partitions approximately six
inches off the floor.
To assure adequate ventilation in a modern building,
adjustments can be made to the ventilating system. In
older buildings, windows can be opened, ceiling fans
can be installed to help circulate the outside air,
and humidifiers or dehumidifiers can be
added.Relative humidity should be kept between thirty
and sixty percent.
3. Maintain The Ventilation System
Regularly clean and disinfect every part of a
ventilating, heating or cooling device or system,
including humidifiers and dehumidifiers, air filters,
air circulation pumps and blowers.
4. Remove Sources Of Pollution
It is important to keep up to date with the chemical
components and health effects from exposure to
equipment, furnishings and supplies in your office.
Change or remove sources that cause problems for
workers.
OTHER WAYS TO
CURE SICK BUILDINGS
Ask the building manager or other responsible person
to:
In new or renovated
buildings, increase the ventilation rate for the
first few weeks of occupancy. This will dilute
possible emissions from new polluting sources.
Alter or remove office equipment,
furnishings, and supplies that continue to cause
trouble for workers. Some formaldehyde sources,
for example, can be eliminated by the use of a
coating or sealer.
Obtain assurances from the seller
that new furnishings and equipment are free of
irritating gases and can be returned if found to
cause symptoms among workers.
If the building contains an
attached or underground garage, make sure the
ventilating system operates so as to prevent auto
exhaust fumes from entering the offices. Also,
check air ducts for leaks.
Locate loading docks or dumpster
areas far from the building's air supply inlet
vents.
Check cleaning agents for
dangerous components. If possible, use non
toxicmaterials. If not, ventilate offices during
and after using cleaning agents.
If, in spite of these measures, workers continue
to have symptoms, hire an environmental indoor air
quality professional to test the air and identify the
problem.
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For more information on lung health programs, and
special events, call your local American Lung
Association at 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872)
When You Can't
Breathe, Nothing Else Matters®
Copyright 1998 American Lung Association
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